* This transcript was created by voice-to-text technology. The transcript has not been edited for errors or omissions, it is for reference only and is not the official minutes of the meeting. GOOD [00:00:01] MORNING EVERYONE. WE'RE GONNA GET STARTED. [Bicentennial Press Conference February 11, 2025] THANK YOU FOR JOINING US ON THIS VERY SPECIAL DAY, OUR OCCASION OF JEFFERSON PARISH'S 200TH BIRTHDAY. OUR BICENTENNIAL, AS WE GATHER TOGETHER TO MARK THIS EXCITING MILESTONE, WE PAUSE TO REFLECT ON THE RICH HISTORY THAT HAS SHAPED OUR COMMUNITY FOR THE PAST 200 YEARS, AND WE CONTINUE TO INSPIRE INTO THE JEFFERSON PARISH'S FUTURE. FROM ITS FOUNDING IN 1825, JEFFERSON PARISH HAS GROWN FROM A SMALL SETTLEMENT ALONG THE MISSISSIPPI RIVER INTO THE SECOND LARGEST PARISH IN LOUISIANA, AND HOME TO ONE OF THE MOST VIBRANT AND DIVERSE REGIONS IN THE STATE. OUR ROOTS RUN DEEP IN THIS AREA FROM THE NATIVE AMERICAN TRIBES WHO LIVED HERE LONG BEFORE EUROPEAN SETTLERS ARRIVED TO THE EARLY FRENCH AND SPANISH COLONISTS WHO LAID THE FOUNDATION FOR OUR CULTURE, ECONOMY, AND WAY OF LIFE. OVER THE YEARS, JEFFERSON PARISHES WEATHERED MANY CHALLENGES, CELEBRATED TREMENDOUS TRIUMPHS, AND EMBRACE CHANGE, AND BUILT A STRONG, RESILIENT COMMUNITY THAT THRIVES ON INNOVATION. I'M PROUD TO BE SERVING AS YOUR PARISH PRESIDENT DURING THIS TIME IN OUR HISTORY AND THANKFUL FOR ALL THAT WE HAVE ACCOMPLISHED DURING OUR TERM, BUT ALSO SO VERY EXCITED FOR WHAT'S TO COME. I'VE ALWAYS SAID THAT IF I HAD ANY VISION FOR OUR BICENTENNIAL, IT WOULD BE THAT EVERY PERSON, EVERY BUSINESS, EVERY ORGANIZATION FEEL LIKE THEY HAVE A ROLE IN CELEBRATING WITH US. THIS IS TRULY A GRASSROOTS EFFORT, AND WE'RE ENCOURAGING MEMBERS OF THE PUBLIC, CIVIC LEADERS, BUSINESS OWNERS, CHURCHES, SCHOOLS, COMMUNITY ORGANIZATIONS, TO BE PART OF THIS SPECIAL ANNIVERSARY BY SPEARHEADING THEIR OWN EVENTS, ACTIVITIES, AND PROGRAMMING THAT WILL HELP MAKE OUR BICENTENNIAL A YEAR TO REMEMBER. SO TODAY, AS WE CELEBRATE OUR BICENTENNIAL, I'D LIKE TO TAKE A MOMENT TO RECOGNIZE THE INDIVIDUALS AND ORGANIZATIONS THAT HAVE CONTRIBUTED TO OUR SUCCESS. MOST IMPORTANTLY, WE WANNA THANK THE PEOPLE OF JEFFERSON PARISH, WHO CALLED JEFFERSON PARISH HOME. WHETHER YOU WERE BORN AND RAISED HERE, DECIDED TO MOVE HERE, OR A LOCAL BUSINESS OWNER, A COMMUNITY LEADER, OR A PUBLIC SERVANT. EACH OF YOU HAS PLAYED A ROLE IN MAKING THE PARISH THE THRIVING PLACE IT IS TODAY. I'D ALSO LIKE TO EXTEND A SPECIAL THANK YOU, UM, TO THOSE WHO HELP PLAN OUR BICENTENNIAL. AND THERE ARE MANY, OUR JEFFERSON PARISH COUNCIL OFFICES, EMPLOYEES ACROSS VARIOUS DEPARTMENTS, AS WELL AS MANY COMMUNITY AND BUSINESS LEADERS WHO HAVE BEEN BUSY MEETING O ON SEVERAL DIFFERENT COMMITTEES FOR OVER A YEAR NOW, TO PLAN SOME NEXT LEVEL INITIATIVES THAT INSTILL A SENSE OF PRIDE FOR JEFFERSON PARISH DURING THIS MILESTONE YEAR. I WANNA TAKE TIME TO RECOGNIZE ALL OF OUR ELECTED OFFICIALS HERE WITH US TODAY, INCLUDING COUNCILMAN WALKER REPRESENTING, UM, THE COUNCIL AS OUR CHAIRMAN, COUNCILWOMAN ARITA BOHANNAN COUNCILWOMAN JOE MARINO. I SEE JUDGE JUNE DANBERRY, UM, GRETNA COUNCILMAN MIKE, KIN COUNCILMAN WAYNE RAO. COUNCILMAN RUDY SMITH, CLERK OF COURT, JOHN GUGGENHEIMER, AND REPRESENTATIVE BIG JOHN. ILL, IF I MISSED ANYBODY, PLEASE MAKE SURE YOU RAISED YOUR HAND. DID I MISS ANYBODY? OKAY. NEXT, WE'D LIKE TO INVITE, UM, OUR CHAIRMAN OF THE JEFFERSON PARISH COUNCIL, COUNCILMAN SCOTT WALKER TO COME UP AND SPEAK ON BEHALF OF OUR JEFFERSON PARISH COUNCIL. GOOD MORNING. NOBODY TOLD ME THERE WOULD BE HEADDRESSES AND SEQUIN JACKETS , BUT I'LL HAVE TO MANAGE WITH WHAT I HAVE. UH, ON BEHALF OF THE JEFFERSON PARISH COUNCIL, THANK YOU ALL FOR BEING HERE TODAY. IT'S A, IT'S A GREAT DAY TO BE 200. IT'S BEAUTIFUL OUTSIDE, AND IT'S ABOUT TO BE PEAK MARDI GRAS SEASON IN THE YEAR OF OUR 200TH BIRTHDAY. SO WHAT A PARTY LIES AHEAD. THIS HAS BEEN A LONG TIME COMING, A LOT OF TALK, BUT NOW IT'S TIME TO PUT THE TALK INTO ACTION. THE FIRST RECORD OF MARDI GRAS BEING CELEBRATED IN NEW ORLEANS WAS IN 16 99, 126 YEARS BEFORE THE DAWN OF JEFFERSON PARISH, BUT WE CAUGHT ON PRETTY QUICKLY, AND SINCE THEN, WE'VE PUT ON AMAZING MARDI GRAS CELEBRATIONS YEAR AFTER YEAR. ALONG THE WAY, MAYBE YOU'VE SEEN THIS, WE ALSO BECAME THE KING CAKE CAPITAL OF THE WORLD. I LIKE TO MENTION THIS BECAUSE NOT A LOT OF PEOPLE THINK ABOUT THIS. A FEW YEARS AGO IN MY OFFICE ABOUT MARDI GRAS 2021, WE STARTED THINKING ABOUT THIS. WE CAME UP WITH A KING CAKE MAP THAT SHOWS ALL THESE WONDERFUL BAKERIES IN JEFFERSON PARISH THAT PUTS OUT KING CAKES. 41 OF THEM, AT LEAST BY OUR COUNT IN THIS PARISH THAT MAKES MARDI GRAS HAPPEN ACROSS THE WORLD. AND YOU'VE PROBABLY SEEN THAT KING CAKE CAPITAL LOGO IN DIFFERENT PLACES. SO NO BETTER WAY TO START THIS BICENTENNIAL YEAR THAN IN THE KING CAKE CAPITAL OF THE WORLD. DURING THE MARDI GRAS SEASON. BIG KING CAKES ARE SMALL KING CAKES. BIG NAMES ARE NEW NAMES. IT DOESN'T MATTER BECAUSE NO ONE ELSE HAS THE NUMBERS THAT JEFFERSON PARISH HAS. NO MATTER THE SITUATION, JEFFERSON PARISH STEPS UP, FOLLOWS THROUGH, AND ALWAYS WILL KING CAKES AND MARDI GRAS CELEBRATIONS ASIDE. THIS YEAR IS THE TIME TO REFLECT ON OUR INCREDIBLE JOURNEY IN THIS PARISH, AND TO HONOR THE GENERATIONS BEFORE US WHO BUILT THIS PARISH WITH VISION, RESILIENCE, AND HARD WORK. FROM OUR VIBRANT COMMUNITIES TO OUR THRIVING [00:05:01] BUSINESSES AND STRONG FAMILIES, WE HAVE GROWN TOGETHER FROM MOSQUITO INFESTED SWAMPS TO SPRAWLING NEIGHBORHOODS, AND SOME STILL MOSQUITO INFESTED THAT HASN'T CHANGED FROM DIRT ROADS TO INTERSTATES, WE CONTINUE SHAPING A PLACE THAT WE ARE PROUD, PROUD TO CALL HOME. SO AS WE LOOK TO THE PAST, WE FIND INSPIRATION IN THOSE WHO CAME BEFORE US AND PAVED THE LAST 200 YEARS. NOW WE LOOK AHEAD TO THE NEXT 200. THIS IS OUR OPPORTUNITY TO BUILD A STRONGER AND EVEN MORE PROSPEROUS JEFFERSON PARISH, THOMAS JEFFERSON, WHOM THIS PARISH WAS NAMED FOR, OBVIOUSLY ONE YEAR BEFORE HE DIED, ONCE SAID, I LIKE THE DREAMS OF THE FUTURE BETTER THAN THE HISTORY OF THE PAST. SO THIS IS OUR TIME. THE FUTURE IS OURS TO SHAPE, AND WE WONDER WHAT WILL THEY SAY ABOUT JEFFERSON PARISH 200 YEARS FROM NOW. SO LET'S CELEBRATE TODAY, HONOR OUR PAST, AND LEAVE JEFFERSON PARISH BETTER THAN WE FOUND IT. HAPPY BIRTHDAY. THANKS FOR BEING HERE, EVERYBODY HAVE A GREAT 200TH YEAR. OKAY, I WANNA ACKNOWLEDGE COUNCILMAN JENNIFER VAN RANK, AND I THINK SHE ARRIVED. SOMEBODY TOLD ME SHE, THERE YOU GO. AND, UH, MY APOLOGIES, COUNCILMAN MORENO, I THINK I CALLED YOU COUNCILWOMAN. MY, MY DEEP APOLOGIES, BUT I THINK HE SAID HE'S SETTLING ON THE TITLE COUNCIL PERSON. IS THAT WHAT YOU WANT PERSON? HE TOLD ME. IT'S COUNCIL PERSON. SO THERE WE GO. UM, WE'RE HONORED TO HAVE A NUMBER OF OUR BUSINESS AND COMMUNITY PARTNERS WHO HAVE LED VARIOUS BICENTENNIAL PLANNING COMMITTEES. AS I'VE SAID WITH US HERE TODAY, WE WANTED THIS TO BE A GROUP EFFORT, A REAL COMMUNITY EFFORT. AND THEY HAVE BEEN PLANNING ALL YEAR. SO, UM, THEY HAVE A LOT OF DIFFERENT EVENTS, PLANNED, LOCAL INITIATIVES, NEW PROJECTS TO INSTILL A SENSE OF PRIDE IN JEFFERSON PARISH. UM, I WANNA MAKE SURE I INCLUDE THE BICENTENNIAL COMMITTEE'S GOVERNMENT THAT INCLUDES US. AND YOU'RE GONNA BE SEEING SOME PROGRAM FROM ONE OF YOUR 43 DIFFERENT GOVERNMENT DEPARTMENTS. UH, SO MANY OF THOSE, UH, OUR PEOPLE HAVE BEEN WORKING ON IT. THE BUSINESS COMMITTEE LED BY JED CO AND THE JEFFERSON CHAMBER, THE HOSPITALITY AND TOURISM COMMITTEE LED BY, UM, VISIT JEFFERSON, THE COMMUNITY OUTREACH COMMITTEE COMMITTEE LED BY THE JEFFERSON COMMUNITY FOUNDATION AND THE ARTS CULTURE AND HISTORY COMMITTEE LED BY THE JEFFERSON PERFORMING ARTS CENTER, EDUCATION LED BY OUR PUBLIC SCHOOLS, OUR JEFFERSON PARISH PUBLIC SCHOOL SYSTEM, AND COMMUNICATIONS LED BY OUR PUBLIC INFORMATION OFFICER, LED BY, UM, OUR DIRECTOR, GRETCHEN HURT, RIGHT THERE. AND I WANNA GIVE A SPECIAL THANKS TO THIS TEAM, OUR PUBLIC, UM, INFORMATION OFFICE. THEY HAVE REALLY BEEN IN EVERY MEETING AND, AND REALLY TYING THIS ALL TOGETHER. IT'S TAKEN A LOT OF THEIR TIME. UM, YOU WILL SEE A VIDEO LATER TODAY THAT THEY DID, AND, AND THEY HAVE A WHOLE YEAR PLANNED WITH A LOT OF FUN THINGS, BUT I KNOW IT'S TAKEN A LOT OF THEIR TIME WITH MANY OTHER THINGS GOING ON. SO A, A SPECIAL THANK YOU TO THEM. UM, I WANNA INVITE SOME OF THE BUSINESS CHAIRS TO COME UP AND SPEAK ABOUT THE WORK THAT THEY'VE BEEN DOING. SO I, FIRST OFF, WE'RE GONNA START WITH THE BUSINESS COMMITTEE. AGAIN, THIS IS THE CHAMBER AND JED CO. BUT JERRY BOLOGNA, I THINK IS HERE. MR. BOLOGNA, COME ON UP. THANK YOU. PARISH PRESIDENT. UM, LEE SHANG. I DID NOT GET THE MEMO EITHER, BUT I CAME PREPARED NONETHELESS. SO, UM, IT, IT'S BEEN A REAL PLEASURE OVER THE LAST SEVERAL MONTHS TO, TO PREPARE FOR THIS EVENT. UH, OVER THE LAST 200 YEARS, JEFFERSON PARISH HAS BECOME THE ECONOMIC POWERHOUSE OF THE ENTIRE STATE. AND THAT'S CERTAINLY, UH, RECOGNIZED THROUGH THE ECONOMY THAT WE HAVE THE STATE'S LARGEST EMPLOYERS HEADQUARTERED RIGHT HERE, UH, ALL THE WAY TO THE SMALLEST OF, OF STARTUPS. AND WE, AND WE LOVE WORKING WITH EVERY ONE OF THEM. I DON'T THINK OUR FOUNDERS COULD HAVE EVER REALIZED THAT UPON OUR 200TH ANNIVERSARY, WE WOULD BE COMING OFF CELEBRATING THE, UH, NATION'S LARGEST SPORTING EVENT RIGHT HERE IN THIS REGION WITH GLOBAL CEOS VISITING THEIR, THEIR RETAIL STORES HERE IN JEFFERSON. AND, UH, GLOBAL INFLUENCERS REVIEWING PIZZA PARLORS ALL THROUGHOUT JEFFERSON PARISH. BUT, UH, IT'S BEEN A GREAT WEEK AND, UH, AND I THINK THE NEXT CHAPTER IS GONNA BE EVEN, UH, EVEN BETTER. UH, ON BEHALF OF, UM, MY OTHER CO-CHAIR, RUTH LAWSON WITH THE JEFFERSON CHAMBER, UH, WE'RE PROUD TO SHARE A FEW OF THE WAYS WE'RE GONNA BE CELEBRATING OUR BUSINESSES THROUGHOUT THIS YEAR. UH, FIRST AND FOREMOST, UH, WE WILL BE LAUNCHING THIS QUARTER, THE JEFFERSON PARISH BICENTENNIAL PASSPORT, AND WE WILL BE ENCOURAGING ALL OF OUR BUSINESSES THROUGHOUT THE PARISH TO PARTICIPATE. THIS IS GONNA BE IN CONJUNCTION WITH THE JEFFERSON CONVENTION AND VISITORS BUREAU, OUR SPONSOR. UH, BUT THIS WILL BE AN OPPORTUNITY FOR ALL OF OUR BUSINESSES TO REGISTER THEIR BUSINESS SO THAT OUR RESIDENTS CAN GO AND ENJOY THEIR WARES, WHETHER IT'S RESTAURANTS OR RETAILERS OFFERING SALES AND COUPONS AND, AND, UH, OTHER, OTHER TYPES OF OFFERINGS. UH, THIS WILL BE, UM, LAUNCHED THIS QUARTER. WE WOULD ENCOURAGE EVERYONE TO GO TO JED CODE.ORG/JP 200. YOU CAN SIGN UP THERE FOR NOTIFICATIONS AS WELL AS INFORMATION ON THAT PASSPORT. ALSO, IF YOU HAVEN'T SEEN YET, UH, WE HAVE LAUNCHED THE MORE HERE CAMPAIGN, AND WE WILL BE CELEBRATING THIS ALL THROUGHOUT THE YEAR. [00:10:01] JEFFERSON PARISH TRULY OFFERS MORE COMPANIES CAN INNOVATE HERE, MORE COMPANIES CAN FIND MORE RESIDENTS, CAN ENJOY MORE HERE IN JEFFERSON. AND WE WILL BE CELEBRATING THAT ALL THROUGHOUT THE YEAR. YOU WILL BE SEEING THOSE BILLBOARDS, UH, GO UP. SOME OF THEM WERE UP DURING SUPER BOWL, AND YOU'LL SEE EVEN MORE. AND THIS IS ALSO REALLY TARGETED AT OUR NATIONAL BUSINESS, UH, SITE SELECTORS AND CORPORATE RELOCATION EXECUTIVES, UH, TO GET THEM TO SEE WHAT WE HAVE TO OFFER HERE IN JEFFERSON PARISH. THIS WEEK IS A PRECURSOR TO WHAT WE REALLY HAVE TO CELEBRATE ALL YEAR LONG, AND THAT IS SEVERAL MAJOR RIBBON CUTTINGS, GROUNDBREAKINGS, AND IT REALLY SHOWS WHAT JEFFERSON PARISH CAN BE. UM, WE WILL BE CELEBRATING A HALF BILLION DOLLAR INVESTMENT ON THURSDAY WITH UBE. WE ALSO HAVE RENEGADE CELEBRATING THE CONSOLIDATION OF ALL THEIR EFFORTS INTO JEFFERSON PARISH FRIDAY. WE'LL BE BACK HERE IN GRETNA, CELEBRATING THE RIBBON CUTTING ON THE PRIMARY WORKSPACE, A SCHOOLHOUSE THAT DATES BACK MANY, MANY YEARS. BUT, UH, AND THEN FINALLY, UH, NEXT WEEK, WE'RE ALSO CELEBRATING THE, UM, LAUNCH OR, OR THE EXPANSION OF ANOTHER A HUNDRED YEAR OLD COMPANY, PERONIAN SONS. UH, SO THAT CERTAINLY GIVES YOU THE SIGNAL THAT COMPANIES HERE CAN LAST THEY, AND THEN WE CAN HANDLE THE STARTUPS AS WELL. WE WANT TO ENCOURAGE ALL OF OUR COMPANIES, IF YOU'RE A FOOD MANUFACTURER, FOR EXAMPLE, TO CONSIDER BRANDING YOUR PACKAGING DURING BICENTENNIAL YEAR. UH, SO WE'RE WORKING WITH A NUMBER OF OUR COMPANIES ON THAT FRONT. AND THEN FINALLY, WE DO WANT TO ENCOURAGE ALL OF OUR RESIDENTS AND BUSINESSES TO LIGHT UP THE NIGHT TONIGHT. UH, SO WE'RE ENCOURAGING EVERYBODY, THE PARISH COLORS OF ORANGE AND BLUE. PLEASE CONSIDER LIGHTING YOUR RESIDENTS, YOUR BUSINESSES AS WE CELEBRATE ALL YEAR LONG. WE LOOK FORWARD TO THE NEXT 200 YEARS. UH, WE HAVE CERTAINLY RELIED ON OUR FOUNDERS TO, TO, UH, TAKE WHAT THEY HAVE DONE AND MAKE IT BETTER. AND WE LOOK FORWARD TO THE NEXT CHAPTER. THANK YOU. THANK YOU, JERRY. NEXT, I WANNA INVITE, UM, VIOLET PETERS, THE CHAIR OF OUR HOSPITAL AND TOURISM COMMITTEE. THEY, THEY ARE IN THE MIDST OF A VERY, VERY INCREDIBLY BUSY BUT POSITIVE TIME WITH SUPER BOWL WEEKEND AND BICENTENNIAL EVENTS, AND ROLLING RIGHT INTO THE CARNIVAL SEASON. SO I KNOW YOU'RE BUSY. THANK YOU FOR BEING IN ALL YOUR WORK WITH US. VIOLET. VIOLET PETERS, MY PLEASURE. THANK YOU. THANK YOU SO MUCH. THANK YOU SO MUCH, PARISH PRESIDENT. WELL, WE ARE, UM, SO EXCITED TO BE HERE. I'M HONORED TO SERVE REPRESENTING THE HOSPITALITY AND THE TOURISM COMMUNITY. YOU KNOW, AS A COMMUNITY, WE WELCOME VISITORS WHO WANNA EXPERIENCE OUR CULTURE, AND THEY REALLY WANNA LIVE LIKE A LOCAL WHILE THEY'RE HERE. THEY WANNA, THEY WANNA DO THE THINGS THAT WE DO. AND BECAUSE OF OUR VISITATION AND THE VISITORS THAT COME HERE IN JEFFERSON PARISH, WE ENJOY A $2 BILLION TOURISM INDUSTRY WITH OVER 20,000 JOBS THAT COLLECTIVELY THOSE JOBS EARN OVER $650 MILLION EACH YEAR. 198 MILLION STATE AND LOCAL TAXES WERE GENERATED BY VISITORS IN 2023. THE INDUSTRY WITHIN JEFFERSON PARISH IS THRIVING, AND IT IS ONE THAT IS VITAL TO OUR ECONOMY. SO WE'RE VERY EXCITED. THE FACT THAT THE BICENTENNIAL GIVES VISITORS YET ANOTHER REASON TO VISIT JEFFERSON PARISH. UH, WE ARE EXCITED ABOUT THE PASSPORT THAT JERRY MENTIONED THAT WE PARTNERED AS VISIT JEFFERSON PARISH WITH JED CO. AND THE BUSINESS COMMUNITY ON THE PASSPORT, WHERE WE'LL BE ABLE TO HIGHLIGHT OUR RESTAURANTS AND OUR ATTRACTIONS, OUR PARKS. WE ARE ALSO EXCITED ABOUT AN INITIATIVE THAT WE'VE WANTED TO DO FOR QUITE SOME TIME. UM, AND THIS IS A PERFECT OPPORTUNITY FOR US TO LAUNCH IT. AND IT IS A MOBILE VISITOR CENTER USING A VAN TO, UM, SHARE INFORMATION ABOUT JEFFERSON PARISH. AND YOU CAN LOOK FOR THAT VAN IN SOME OF OUR PARADES AT SOME OF OUR EVENTS THROUGHOUT THE YEAR AND BE ABLE TO LEARN MORE ABOUT THE PARISH. AND YOU CAN ALSO PLAY A TOURIST IN YOUR OWN HOMETOWN. WE LOVE THAT. WE ARE SUPER EXCITED ABOUT A JEFFERSON PARISH CULINARY SERIES. THIS IS A SIX. UH, WE'LL BE RELEASING SIX SHORT 10 TO 15 MINUTE VIDEOS THAT HIGHLIGHT THE VIBRANT HISTORY AND CULTURE OF JEFFERSON PARISH AND OUR CO, UH, CULINARY SCENE. THESE WILL BE RELEASED THROUGHOUT THE BICENTENNIAL YEAR AND THROUGHOUT THIS YEAR, ALL OF OUR MARKETING WILL EMBRACE THE BICENTENNIAL. WE'VE ALSO COMMUNICATED WITH OUR PARTNERS, OF COURSE, OUR FESTIVALS, OUR HOSPITALITY COMMUNITY, TO INCORPORATE THE BICENTENNIAL THROUGHOUT THE ENTIRE YEAR. THIS IS SUCH AN AN OPPORTUNITY FOR US THAT COMES, BUT ONCE IN A LIFETIME, RIGHT? SO WE ARE VERY, VERY HONORED TO BE A PART OF IT. WE'RE VERY EXCITED ABOUT WHERE WE ARE IN JEFFERSON PARISH, AND WE'RE EXCITED ABOUT GROWING THE VISITOR ECONOMY IN JEFFERSON PARISH. THANK YOU. [00:15:02] WANT THIS TO FLY? THAT ONE'S NOT. YES. THANK YOU, VIOLET. THANK YOU SO MUCH. NEXT, THE CHAIR OF OUR COMMUNITY OUTREACH COMMITTEE. CHRISTINE BREED, WITH THE JEFFERSON COMMUNITY FOUNDATION IS CHRISTINE. YEAH, YEAH. THERE WE GO. RIGHT IN FRONT. THANK YOU. WITH A VERY SPECIAL EVENT YOU'RE GONNA HIGHLIGHT. YES. OKAY. THANK YOU MADAM PRESIDENT. WE ARE SO HONORED AS THE JEFFERSON COMMUNITY FOUNDATION TO BE THE HOST OF THE BICENTENNIAL BALL, WHICH WILL BE HELD ON JUNE 14TH. THIS IS OUR BIRTHDAY CELEBRATION TO JEFFERSON PARISH. IT'S OUR HONOR TO, TO CELEBRATE OUR CULTURE, OUR FOOD, OUR ENTERTAINMENT. I MEAN, WE'RE GONNA HAVE A WONDERFUL, WONDERFUL TIME. IT'S JUNE 14TH, WHICH IS ALSO FLAG DAY, SATURDAY, JUNE 14TH IN THE EVENING. AND WE'RE HOSTING THAT AT LAKESIDE SHOPPING CENTER. SO IT'S THE FIRST EVENT OF ITS KIND AT THE SHOPPING CENTER, WHICH IS ONE OF OUR ECONOMIC DRIVERS IN JEFFERSON PARISH. SO WE'RE VERY EXCITED ABOUT THAT. WE'RE GONNA HAVE A LOT OF SPECIAL PRESENTATIONS AND JUST BUILD ON THE CULTURAL RICHNESS. THAT IS JEFFERSON PARISH. WE ARE ALSO THE HOST OF THE SENIOR EXPO ON MARCH 20TH. THAT IS THURSDAY. AND, UH, THAT IS HOSTED AT THE PONCHO TRAIN CENTER. SO WE'RE GONNA HAVE OVER A HUNDRED BOOTHS, UH, FROM OUR GOVERNMENT AGENCIES, NONPROFITS, HEALTHCARE COMPANIES, TO PROVIDE RESOURCES TO OUR SENIOR CITIZENS. WE ARE, UH, AN AGING POPULATION HERE IN JEFFERSON PARISH, AND WE WANNA PROVIDE SOME RESOURCES FOR THEM. AND THEN IN HONOR OF THE BICENTENNIAL, THE COMMUNITY FOUNDATION WILL AWARD GRANTS TO SOME LOCAL NONPROFITS AND ALSO CONTRIBUTE TO SOME TRANSFORMATIONAL PROJECTS IN THE PARISH. WE HOPE TO DO THAT IN THE FALL, AND WE'LL KICK THAT OFF. AND ALL OF THIS INFORMATION CAN BE FOUND ON OUR WEBSITE, WHICH IS JEFFERSON COMMUNITY.ORG. WE HAVE SPECIAL PAGES FOR EACH EVENT. THANK YOU SO MUCH. THANK YOU SO MUCH, CHRISTINE. NEXT ARTS HISTORY AND CULTURE COMMITTEE CHAIR LED BY AMY KIRK. AMY, THANK YOU. THANK YOU PRESIDENT. UM, AS THE MOST DIVERSE PARISH, UH, IN THE STATE, IT'S REALLY HARD TO THINK THAT WE CAN POSSIBLY IN ONE COMMITTEE COVER EVERYTHING, BUT WE DID OUR BEST. UM, AND WE HAD A GREAT GROUP OF FOLKS WHO'VE BEEN MEETING ALL YEAR. EVERYONE FROM THE JEFFERSON PARISH SCHOOL SYSTEM TO THE LIBRARY SYSTEM. LOTS OF CROSS POLLINATION WITH EVERY SINGLE COMMITTEE. SOMEONE MIGHT START ON ONE COMMITTEE ON ARTS CULTURE AND HISTORY, WHICH THEN BECAME EDUCATION AND HOP AROUND TO THE TOURISM AND COMMUNITY OUTREACH. SO WE ALL DID A LOT OF GREAT COLLABORATION ALL YEAR, AND WE CONTINUE TO TALK CONSTANTLY ABOUT WAYS THAT WE CAN SUPPORT EACH OTHER. UM, WE DID, AS MENTIONED, UM, WORK WITH THE JEFFERSON PARISH SCHOOL SYSTEM AND WITH KAYLA LEWIS, SOLANGE SMITH AND EMILY DAVIS, WHO'S THE HEAD OF THE, UM, TALENTED ART COMMITTEE. THEY HIT THE GROUND RUNNING AT THE BEGINNING OF THE SCHOOL YEAR IN 2024 TO BE ABLE TO GET ALL THE ARTWORK DONE BY THE BICENTENNIAL. SO THEY PUT OUT A CALL TO ALL THE TALENTED ART STUDENTS AT ALL JEFFERSON PARISH SCHOOLS, WHICH IS A HUGE SCHOOL SYSTEM, AS YOU KNOW. NO EASY TASK. OH, KAYLA'S HERE, . AND, UH, THEY, UH, COLLECTED ARTWORK THAT WILL BE ON DISPLAY THROUGHOUT THE NEXT YEAR. AND WE ARE GONNA BE WORKING TOGETHER WITH THEM. AND AS I SAID, MANY MEMBERS OF THESE VARIOUS COMMITTEES. YOU'LL GET TO SEE THIS ARTWORK THROUGHOUT THE PARISH. AND I HAVE SEVERAL PAGES WITH ALL THE DIFFERENT PIECES HERE. UM, THAT WILL START, YOU KNOW, BEING ON DISPLAY PROBABLY AFTER MARDI GRAS. I KNOW WE'RE HITTING THAT PART OF THE YEAR WHERE WE SAY EVERYTHING'S HAPPENING. AFTER MARDI GRAS SPEAKING, AFTER MARDI GRAS, WE WILL ALSO BE HAVING A FIRST EVENT CALLED THE PARK TO PARK RACE. UM, I MET WITH NO LA TRACK CLUB WHEN I FIRST JOINED THIS COMMITTEE TO TRY TO DO SOME SORT OF ART WALK AROUND THE LASALLE PARK. I FEEL LIKE OUR PARKS ARE STILL UNDERAPPRECIATED BY THE GREAT METRO AREA. WE ALL KNOW IF WE LIVE HERE, HOW FABULOUS OUR PARKS ARE. WELL, BENJAMIN BURKE WITH THE NOLA TRACK CLUB HAD AN EVEN BETTER IDEA, WHICH WAS TO JOIN THE TWO PARKS, LASALLE PARK AND LAIER PARK. SO HE INVENTED THIS PARK TO PARK RACE THAT YOU'RE GONNA BE HEARING A LOT ABOUT AND PROBABLY ALREADY HAVE. THAT'LL BE MARCH 22ND. AND THIS IS GONNA REALLY SHINE A LIGHT ON THE GREAT GREEN SPACES AND EVENT SPACES THAT WE HAVE. AND IT'S A 10 K. SO YOU'RE GONNA SEE STREET CLOSURES THAT YOU HAVEN'T SEEN BEFORE. AND JUST A WHOLE WAY OF THINKING OF OUR PARISH AND CONNECTING IT AND BRINGING PEOPLE FROM ALL OVER. I KNOW HE'S SAT ON THE TOURISM COMMITTEE AND THE OUTREACH COMMITTEE AND WORKED WITH EVERYONE. SO THIS IS GONNA BE A GREAT WAY TO HIGHLIGHT OUR PARISH AND GO PARISH WIDE. UM, THERE ARE SO MANY COUNTLESS FESTIVALS IN OUR PARISH. IT WOULD BE IMPOSSIBLE TO NAME THEM ALL FROM THE CAPEA FEST IN MERI TO THE ITALIAN FEST IN KENNER, THE ISLAND STRONG MUSIC FESTIVAL IN GRAND ISLAND, TO, OF COURSE, THE GRETNA HERITAGE FESTIVAL. [00:20:01] AND I COULD GO ON AND ON. SO INSTEAD OF INVENTING A BICENTENNIAL FESTIVAL, , WE'RE ASKING ALL OF OUR FESTIVALS AND PARTNERS AND ARTS AND CULTURE ORGANIZATIONS TO JUST HIGHLIGHT THE BICENTENNIAL. PLEASE USE THE LOGO, PLEASE CALL IT YOUR BICENTENNIAL FESTIVAL. AND WE WILL DO OUR BEST TO ALSO HIGHLIGHT YOUR FESTIVAL THIS YEAR, UM, IN WESTWEGO. SO I WORK FOR JEFFERSON PERFORMING ARTS SOCIETY. UH, WESTWEGO, AS YOU MAY KNOW, WAS SETTLED AFTER THE GRAND SCHIER, GRAND KE, OH, I GET IT WRONG EVERY TIME. , GRAND SCHIER KIM HURRICANE OF 1893. SO ONE OF THE TASKS THAT, UM, MADAM PRESIDENT MADE SURE THAT WE HIGHLIGHT THE WEST BANK. WESTWEGO HAS A RICH, RICH HISTORY, AND HISTORIC CELL AVENUE HAS A VERY RICH HISTORY. IT HAS THE FIRST AND LONGEST OPERATING BAPTIST CHURCH, AFRICAN AMERICAN BAPTIST CHURCH, TRUE VINE. AND WE WILL BE HOSTING A DAY IN OCTOBER. THAT'S THE ANNIVERSARY OF THE 1893 HURRICANE THAT WILL HIGHLIGHT ALL OF WES WEGO AND ALL THE SETTLERS THERE AND THIS RICH HISTORY. SO THAT'S JUST A FEW OF THE HIGHLIGHTS. UM, AND THEN FINALLY, OUR TIME CAPSULE COMMITTEE. PERHAPS OUR MOST DILIGENT, UM, COMMITTEE THAT HAS BEEN MEETING CONSTANTLY. UM, THE GENTLEMAN WHO WILL SPEAK AFTER ME IS TIED TO OUR COMMITTEE BECAUSE WE, WE HOPE TO PLANT OUR TIME CAPSULE WITHIN HIS BEAUTIFUL SCULPTURE. BUT I'LL LET HIM TALK ABOUT THAT. THIS COMMITTEE HAS BEEN WORKING HARD WITH THE HISTORICAL COMMISSION, EVERY OTHER COMMITTEE TO TRY TO FIGURE OUT HOW WE'LL GO ABOUT PUTTING ITEMS IN A TIME CAPSULE. IT'S REALLY HARD TO THINK ABOUT SOMETHING FOR TWO, 200 YEARS THAT WE WANT TO LAST INTO ETERNITY, RIGHT? SO WE STARTED EARLY AND WE STILL HAVE NINE MONTHS TO, UM, GIVE BIRTH TO A BOUNCING BABY TIME CAPSULE IN DECEMBER. UM, NINE MONTHS FROM TODAY, WE WILL PLANT THAT TIME CAPSULE IN THE, UH, PARIS SEAT HERE IN GRETNA. SO LOOK FOR THAT MARKET CALENDARS FOR DECEMBER 11TH, 2025. AND I THINK ANOTHER THING I JUST WANNA MENTION IS THAT IT'S REALLY IMPORTANT TO REMEMBER THAT ALL THESE COMMITTEES DID SO MUCH MORE THAN JUST FOCUS ON THE BICENTENNIAL, LIKE BRINGING TOGETHER ALL THESE GROUPS. I JUST WANNA APPLAUD THE PARISH AND GRETCHEN FOR DILIGENTLY THINKING OF ALL THE GROUPS THAT COULD PARTICIPATE, BECAUSE THERE'S SO MUCH THAT'S COME OUT OF THESE COMMITTEES THAT YOU MAY NEVER HEAR ABOUT, YOU WON'T HEAR ABOUT AT THE PODIUM, YOU WON'T SEE IT ON THE CALENDAR. BUT EVEN SMALL THINGS LIKE THE MEY ART GUILD THAT I DIDN'T KNOW ABOUT WAS ABLE TO HOST THEIR FIRST EVER SALE DURING OUR NUTCRACKER EVENT AT THE JEFFERSON PERFORMING ARTS CENTER. SO THERE'S A LOT, A LOT, A LOT OF THINGS LIKE THAT THAT HAVE HAPPENED BECAUSE GROUPS HAVE COME TOGETHER IN JEFFERSON PARISH. KAY AND I HAD WORKED A LITTLE BIT TOGETHER, BUT WE CERTAINLY NEVER WORKED AS MUCH TOGETHER AS WE DID. SO I JUST THINK IT'S REALLY WONDERFUL THAT THE BICENTENNIAL HAS BROUGHT ALL OF THESE GROUPS TOGETHER AND WILL CONTINUE WORKING LONG BEYOND THAT, ALL THE WAY INTO THE TRICENTENNIAL. AND ALSO, UM, I THINK, OH, WHAT WAS, THERE WAS SOMETHING ELSE ABOUT, OH, BECAUSE OF ALL THAT, ALL THE RESEARCH THAT OUR COMMITTEES HAVE DONE, YOU LEARN A LOT ABOUT JEFFERSON PARISH. SO WE WERE ALMOST CALLED CHOPPA PARISH, WHICH I THINK YOU'RE ALL PROBABLY RELIEVED, YOU DON'T HAVE TO SAY. AND IT SOUNDS A LOT BETTER TO SAY JP THAN TP. SO JUST FOR A FUN FACT THERE, UM, WE ALL LEARNED A LOT TOO. SO I THINK IT'S REALLY BUILT A LOT OF PRIDE AND ALL THESE COMMITTEES HAVE DONE SO MUCH HOMEWORK AND CONVERSATION THAT I KNOW WE'LL JUST CONTINUE TO GROW TOGETHER AND LEARN MORE ABOUT OUR PARISH. THANK YOU. THANK YOU SO MUCH, AMY. THANK YOU FOR ALL YOUR WORK. UM, AND THE LAST COMMITTEE I WANNA INTRODUCE IS THE EDUCATION COMMITTEE, A J PEPE, WHERE'S A RIGHT, RIGHT IN FRONT OF ME AGAIN, AJ. THANK YOU. THANK YOU, MADAM PRESIDENT. YOU KNOW, WE'RE REALLY EXCITED AS PART OF JEFFERSON PARISH SCHOOLS AS THE LARGEST SCHOOL SYSTEM IN LOUISIANA, WE HAVE 74 SCHOOLS, APPROXIMATELY 48,000 STUDENTS AND 6,000 EMPLOYEES. WE'RE A BIG PART OF JEFFERSON PARISH, AND WE ARE PROUD AND HONORED TO BE PART OF THIS EXPERIENCE. AND AS THE PARISH PRESIDENT TALKED ABOUT, IT'S REALLY IMPORTANT FOR ALL THE COMMUNITY MEMBERS TO BE INVOLVED IN THIS CELEBRATION. AND WHAT BETTER WAY THAN CELEBRATE AND INVOLVE OUR STUDENTS, OUR YOUNGEST LEARNERS. AND SO WE HAVE 48,000 STUDENTS THAT CAN BE PART OF THIS. AND ONE OF THE THINGS THAT WE ARE REALLY DOING IS ENGAGING WITH OUR COMMUNITY TO LET THEM KNOW ABOUT THIS CELEBRATION. AND WE HAVE MARQUEES THROUGHOUT THE PARISH, ALL THE WAY FROM THE LAKE TO GRAND ISLAND, AS YOU KNOW. SO WE HAVE A LOT OF OPPORTUNITIES TO DISPLAY JEFFERSON PARISH'S BIRTHDAY AT, AT OUR MARQUEES, AT OUR SCHOOLS, AS WELL AS THE DIFFERENT BILLBOARDS THAT WE HAVE THROUGHOUT THE PARISH. BUT PROBABLY THE MOST IMPORTANT THING THAT AMY HIGHLIGHTED IS HOW DO WE INVOLVE OUR STUDENTS? AND WE HAVE A STRONG ARTS PROGRAM, NOT ONLY THE ARTS AS FAR AS, UH, MUSIC AND AND THEATER, BUT THE ARTS THAT AMY TALKED ABOUT. AND WE'VE REALLY ENGAGED OUR STUDENTS IN DISPLAYING THEIR ARTWORK. AND WE'VE BEEN DOING THAT PAST SEVERAL YEARS THROUGHOUT THE LOCAL BUSINESSES AS WELL AS THE WORLD WAR II MUSEUM. AND THIS IS A GREAT OPPORTUNITY FOR US TO SHOW THE TALENTS THAT WE HAVE IN JEFFERSON PARISH AND RELATE IT ALL BACK TO THE BICENTENNIAL. SO THANK Y'ALL FOR INVITING [00:25:01] US TO BE A PART OF THIS. AND THE MORE WE CAN ENGAGE OUR STUDENTS AND LET THEM KNOW THAT WE ARE PART OF THIS LARGER JEFFERSON PARISH, THE BETTER OVERALL FOR US. SO THANK YOU AND HAPPY BIRTHDAY ONCE AGAIN. THANK YOU, AJ. NOW, ONE OF THE, ONE OF THE REASONS WE WANTED TO REALLY MAKE THIS A COMMUNITY EFFORT IS WE ALL, WE WANTED EVERYBODY TO MAKE IT THEIR OWN. SO, UM, THE BICENTENNIAL BELONGS TO ALL OF US. WE HAVE PUT THE LOGO OUT THERE, JEFF PARRISH.GOV/JP 200. BUT I WANNA THANK THE SHERIFF. UM, THIS IS, HE, HE'LL BE WITH US THIS AFTERNOON, BUT, UM, SHERIFF JOSEPH LIP PINTO GAVE ALL OF THE OFFICERS, UM, SORT OF A RETRO BADGE CELEBRATING THE BICENTENNIAL. IT SAYS THE 200TH ANNIVERSARY ON HERE. SO THAT'S JUST AN EXAMPLE OF A WAY YOUR ORGANIZATION CAN KIND OF MAKE IT YOUR OWN. THIS IS OUR LOGO THAT'S OUT FOR EVERYBODY WHO CAN, UM, PUT IT ON ITEMS, YOU KNOW, PUT IT ON CLOTHING, PUT IT ON GIFT ITEMS. THIS IS SOMETHING THAT, UH, WE HAVE, I GAVE TO ALL OF OUR DIRECTORS AND COUNCIL OFFICES FOR, FOR CHRISTMAS. SO WE WANT, IF YOU'RE A GIFT SHOP, UM, THINK APRONS, THINK T-SHIRTS, THINK SWEATSHIRTS, DECORATE DECORATIVE HOME ITEMS, DOWNLOAD THAT LOGO AND HAVE FUN WITH IT. YOU'RE ALLOWED TO DO IT. JUST MAKE IT APPROPRIATE. FAMILY, FAMILY FRIENDLY, AND, UM, YOU KNOW, WE KNOW WHAT I'M TALKING ABOUT, RIGHT? SO, UM, , SO DOWNLOAD THE LOGO, MAKE THIS YOUR OWN. ANY ORGANIZATION, ANYBODY, THIS IS YOUR BICENTENNIAL FOR YOU TO CELEBRATE AS YOU WANT AND LET US KNOW ABOUT IT. WE WANNA KNOW ABOUT IT. HASH, UH, HASHTAG JP 200 RIGHT ON SOCIAL MEDIA. OKAY, SO LET'S MOVE ON. I WANNA THANK THE VARIOUS DEPARTMENTS WHO HELPED US JUST PUT THIS EVENT RIGHT HERE TOGETHER. THEY ALWAYS MAKE IT SO NICE FOR US GENERAL SERVICES, OUR RECREATION DEPARTMENT, PARKWAYS, OUR PUBLIC INFORMATION OFFICE, AS WELL AS OUR RIO CENTER STAFFED HELP. NOW IN A LITTLE BIT, WE'RE GONNA GO INSIDE THE GGB TO SING HAPPY BIRTHDAY AND ENJOY CAKE. BUT BEFORE WE DO THAT, WE HAVE A SPECIAL SURPRISE. WE WANNA UNVEIL A SPECIAL SCULPTURE THAT WAS COMMISSIONED BY JEFFERSON PARISH COUNCIL DISTRICT ONE RIGHT HERE IN GRETNA, THE SEAT OF OUR PARISH GOVERNMENT LOCAL ARTIST, BENJAMIN BULLENS, IS KNOWN FOR HIS USE OF RECYCLED MATERIALS THAT ARE ASSEMBLED INTO ONE OF A KIND PIECES OF ART. TO TELL A STORY, BENJAMIN BEGAN SALVAGING MATERIALS THAT CAUGHT HIS EYE NOT LONG AFTER HE STARTED A BODY OF WORK, USING THOSE VERY PIECES, HE SPENDS A LOT OF TIME OUTSIDE THE STUDIO SEARCHING FOR UNIQUE PIECES THAT HE CAN PUT TO USE. AND MANY OF THESE ITEMS YOU'LL SEE IN THIS NEW, UM, JEFFERSON PARISH SCULPTURE. SO WE'RE SO EXCITED ABOUT THE PIECE OF ART HERE THAT WE'RE GONNA DO TO COMMEMORATE THE BICENTENNIAL. UM, AND AS WE TALKED ABOUT, THE SCULPTURE WILL ACTUALLY HOLD THE TIME CAPSULE THAT WE'RE PUTTING TOGETHER, UM, TO CELEBRATE OUR HISTORY FOR THE BICENTENNIAL YEAR THAT'S GONNA BE PLACED AT THE END OF 2025. SO WITH THAT, I WANNA INVITE, UM, BENJAMIN BULLENS, THE ARTIST TO COME UP. BENJAMIN, OH, ALSO BENJAMIN, THE LICENSE PLATE FOR THE BICENTENNIAL WILL BE, UM, AVAILABLE LATER THIS YEAR. AGAIN, IT'S A YEAR LONG EVENT, SO BE ON THE LOOKOUT FOR THAT. BUT THIS IS THE ARTIST FOR THE SCULPTURE THAT WE'RE ABOUT TO UNVEIL. MR. BENJAMIN BULLENS. THANK YOU, MADAM PRESIDENT. AND I WANNA THANK JEFFERSON PARISH FOR, UM, ENTRUSTING ME TO BUILD THIS SCULPTURE. UM, AS A LIFELONG RESIDENT OF JEFFERSON PARISH, IT'S, IT'S TRULY A MILESTONE IN MY CAREER TO, UH, TO BE ABLE TO PLACE A SCULPTURE IN SUCH A PROMINENT LOCATION IN JEFFERSON PARISH. YOU KNOW, UH, AS AN ARTIST, IT'S, I GET NERVOUS WHEN I WANNA PRESENT A SCULPTURE BECAUSE YOU, YOU NEVER KNOW IF YOU'RE GONNA MEET THE, THE, THE CUSTOMER'S EXPECTATIONS. BUT AS I SAT HERE AND LISTENED TO EVERYONE GIVE THEIR SPEECH, MY CONFIDENCE LEVEL WENT UP BECAUSE ALL THE KEY WORDS THAT WERE SPOKEN OF ARE ENCOMPASSED IN THIS SCULPTURE. FOR EXAMPLE, WE TALKED ABOUT ALL OF THOSE WHO'VE COME BEFORE US. SO WE DECIDED TO USE HAND SAWS FOR THE FEATHERING OF THE PELICAN, WHICH REPRESENTS ALL OF THOSE WHO HELP BUILD THE PARISH. AND SO WE TALKED ABOUT TRIALS OF THE PARISH, ALL THE THINGS THAT WE'VE GONE THROUGH. SO WE PURPOSELY LEFT OUR WELLS IN, IN MORE OF A SCARRING TEXTURE TO REPRESENT, YOU KNOW, ALL THE, THE, THE ADVERSITY AND TRIALS THAT WE'VE GONE THROUGH, BUT HAVE COME THROUGH. AND SO THAT TELLS ITS OWN STORY THERE. AND, UM, YOU TALKED ABOUT ANOTHER 200 YEARS. SO WE, WE DECIDED TO USE A MATERIAL, UH, CALLED CORTEN STEEL, WHICH SOME OF US IN THE INDUSTRY CALL IT FOREVER STEEL, WHICH THAT'S WHAT'S ON THIS SCULPTURES BUILT WITH THE FOREVER STEEL. SO WE WANT THE LONGEVITY OF, OF THE PARISH. AND SO, UH, WE TALKED ABOUT THE MUSIC FESTIVALS. SO, UH, IN INSIDE THE SCULPTURE, YOU'LL SEE BASICALLY A SHADOW BOX OF THE WHOLE BODY, AND IT'S ENCOMPASSED WITH ALL MUSICAL BRASS INSTRUMENTS. SO I THINK THAT, UH, AS WE LOOK AT THE SCULPTURE, IT'S BASICALLY A NUTSHELL OF EVERYTHING WE TALKED ABOUT HERE TODAY. AND MY GOAL IS TO STORY TELL WITH FOUND OBJECTS. AND IT'S NOT REALLY MY STORY, [00:30:01] BUT IT'S THE STORY THAT EACH ONE OF YOU ARE GONNA GET AS YOU VIEW THE SCULPTURE. SO MY HOPE IS THAT AS YOU VIEW THE SCULPTURE, THAT SOME MEMORY OR EXPERIENCE THAT YOU'VE HAD IN, IN JEFFERSON PARISH, ALONG THE WAY, WILL, WILL, WILL COME OUT, UH, AS YOU VIEW THE SCULPTURE. SO, UH, WITH THAT BEING SAID, I WON'T KEEP US ANY LONGER. WON'T WE UNVEIL THE SCULPTURE? THEY'RE GONNA GET IT READY TO, UH, TO SHOWCASE. ALL RIGHT, WELL COUNT DOWN. 3, 2, 1. ARE Y'ALL READY? ALL RIGHT. 3, 2, 1. YOU NEED ME? THERE WE GO. YOU CAN WE GET A PICTURE WITH THE ARTIST? YOU NEED TO STAND IN. THANK YOU. WHAT ABOUT OUR, UH, ELECTED OFFICIALS TOO? WE'LL DO ONE AND. * This transcript was created by voice-to-text technology. The transcript has not been edited for errors or omissions, it is for reference only and is not the official minutes of the meeting.